Highclere Castle, the main filming location for Downton Abbey.

Literature, film and TV

Many of our famous writers have been inspired by the drama of the landscape. Wordsworth loved the light on a Cumbrian lake. The wildness of the Yorkshire Moors compelled Emily Bronte to write Wuthering Heights. The misty marshlands of Kent feature in many of Charles Dickens’ novels, and the rural idylls of Dorset were beloved by Thomas Hardy. But if writing a great English novel is not on your agenda, visit one of the many stately homes which are regularly used for film locations and TV locations. Make your own costume drama at houses like Highclere Castle, the setting of the fictional Downton Abbey.

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Picture Mr Darcy coming out of the lake

The magnificent house, gardens and deer park at Lyme Park was the filming location for the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

Location: Lyme Handley, Cheshire

 

Visit the home of the WWII codebreakers at Bletchley Park

Once Britain’s best kept secret, this major visitor attraction was also the filming location for The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Location: Bletchley, Milton Keynes

 

Visit Derby's three National Trust treasures

Derby has a trio of National Trust treasures all within a 10 mile radius, so use the city as your base to explore Calke, Sudbury and Kedleston.

Location: Derby, Derbyshire

 

Explore the ruins of Ashby Castle

Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel of 1819, Ivanhoe featured Ashby Castle as the backdrop to the famous jousting scenes.

Location: Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

 

Ride the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

This exciting heritage steam railway runs through the picturesque Yorkshire countryside where the classic movie The Railway Children was filmed.

Location: Keighley, West Yorkshire

 

Walk in the footsteps of the famous Brontë sisters

Visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum and explore the beautiful home and surroundings that inspired classic Brontë novels.

Location: Haworth, West Yorkshire

 

Discover Charles Dickens’ Broadstairs

Go to the quaint part of Kent that was inspiration to novelist Charles Dickens and drew him to return time and time again.

Location: Broadstairs, Kent

 

Go to the movies 1930s style at Tyneside Cinema

Live the glamour of 1930s cinema-going at this restored movie theatre, with free newsreel screenings, guided tours, a stylish bar and recent releases.

Location: NewcastleGateshead, Tyne and Wear

 

How did the leopard get his spots? Visit Rudyard Kipling’s home

Explore Bateman's, the 17th century home of the Jungle Book and The Just So Stories author, nestled in the leafy Sussex Weald.

Location: Burwash, East Sussex

 

Visit Shrewsbury Abbey, fictional home of Brother Cadfael

Visit Shrewsbury Abbey and follow in the footsteps of Cadfael, the monastic sleuth, where the books and TV series were set.

Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire

 

Step back in time and live like Wordsworth in Cumbria

A visit to Wordsworth House and Garden is a unique opportunity to experience late 18th-century life at first hand.

Location: Cockermouth, Cumbria

 

Visit the "most popular filming location in the world" in Greenwich, London

Explore the magnificent buildings of the Old Royal Naval College - a film set for major blockbusters including Les Misérables and Cinderella.

Location: Greenwich, London

 

Investigate the origins of Sherlock Holmes at Portsmouth Museum

Discover more about the creator of the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes at Portsmouth Museum.

Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

 

Explore Hawkstone Park Follies fantasy land

Spend the day exploring an historic woodland fantasy with cliffs, crags, caves, deep woods and towers built hundreds of years ago.

Location: Weston under Redcastle, Shropshire

 

Visit the real Wayne Manor in Nottingham

Wollaton Hall took on a very special role in when it appeared as ‘Wayne Manor’ in The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

 

Spot Poldark at Chavenage House

Come and see 'Trenwith', the Poldark family home, actually 'played' by Chavenage House in Tetbury and you may spot Aiden Turner as Ross Poldark!

Location: Tetbury, Gloucestershire

 

Alice in Wonderland at Antony House

Just over the Tamar, Antony House was the location for the hit 'Alice in Wonderland' 2010. Here you can explore its formal gardens, sculptures and the National Collection of Daylilies.

Location: Torpoint, Cornwall

 

Discover the real Downton Abbey

Re-enact your favourite scenes from the much-loved period drama at Highclere Castle before retiring to London Lodge, a Georgian Grade II-listed gatehouse on-site.

Location: Highclere, Hampshire

 

Find romance in the depths of Thomas Hardy Country

Enjoy woodland walks and cosy inns, and immerse yourself in the romantic landscape that this renowned writer called home.

Location: Dorset

 

Sit in Harry Potter's classroom at Durham Cathedral

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry came to life via a number of locations across the UK, one of which was the awe-inspiring Durham Cathedral.

Location: Durham City, Durham

 

Have yourself a Famous Five adventure

Follow in the footsteps of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five with some castle capers and a seaside adventure by steam railway.

Location: Corfe Castle, Dorset

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